Bhubaneswar: Four of five labourers from Odisha, who were rescued after being trapped in the collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel for 17 days, arrived in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
They are Dhiren Nayak of Badakudar and Bisweswar Nayak of Jogibandh in Mayurbhanj, Raju Nayak of Kuldiha in Balasore and Bhagaban Bhotra of Nabarangpur. Tapan Mandal of Bhadrak district, however, stayed back in Uttarakhand with one of his relatives following the rescue.
The four will be put up at the state guest house, which they will have lunch, and are likely to meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the evening, before leaving for their respective villages, sources said.
Odisha Labour Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak, who accompanied the workers back home, thanked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and 5T Chairman VK Pandian for promptly sending labour department officials to the site and later their family members to Uttarakhand by facilitating their air travel, food and accommodation. “The CM also ensured that workers and their families are flown back home safely,” he added.
Bisweswar and Tapan were among the first to step into a new life on Tuesday evening after living amidst hope and despair for over 400 hours. They told the media that things because easier for them after 10 when cooked food and other essentials were supplied to them. They prayed, played, did yoga, watched dowloaded movies and walked within the 2.5 km space to keep themselves occupied throughout the day. They were then taken to Chinyalisaur health centre, 30 km away from the tunnel site, and later airlifted to AIIMS-Rishikesh for further medical examination.
The workers from Odisha then stayed at Dehradun and reached Delhi airport last night, the sources added.
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